Article Sidebar

Share this Story: Opinion: Sask. teachers call for colleagues to speak out about Wet'suwet'en

Trending

Article content

This open letter is written by Saskatchewan school teachers concerned about the current events on Wet’suwet’en territory. It contains our own views and ideas and in no way represents any school boards or education institutions. 45,000 teachers in B.C. have already declared their support for the Wet’suwet’en Nation. We call on teachers in Saskatchewan to join our B.C. colleagues by sharing this letter, attending solidarity actions in Saskatchewan, and demanding Canadian governments respect Wet’suwet’en sovereignty.

In Saskatchewan we teach about treaty history and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). Sometimes our students ask, “We get it, what happened in the past was terrible — why do we need to learn about it over and over again?”

Opinion: Sask. teachers call for colleagues to speak out about Wet'suwet'enBack to video

Our response is this: Wet’suwet’en rights are being ignored. This is exactly why we have to learn about treaty relations and truth and reconciliation. Colonialism is not a thing of the past. It is happening right now on Wet’suwet’en land. In 1997, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Aboriginal sovereignty on Wet’suwet’en land has never been ceded. This means the Wet’suwet’en have the right to decide whether or not a pipeline will be built on that territory. And the Wet’suwet’en have not consented. Forcibly removing peaceful land defenders from their traditional unceded lands is in violation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (B.C. recently passed a bill stating that they would honour this declaration).

Advertisement

Story continues below

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content continued

The band councils, who have agreed to the pipeline, were established under the Indian Act; they only have authority over reserve lands. The hereditary chiefs on the other hand are the keepers of traditional law over the entire territory. They have not agreed to the pipeline, and their right to withhold consent is binding on Canada.

To teach our students the importance of good relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, we believe teachers need to speak out about the current Wet’suwet’en injustice.

Some people feel uncomfortable with the idea of teachers taking sides on political issues; that there’s no place for activism in education. We say that is a misunderstanding of the curriculum, the teaching profession and the potential of public education. The job of teachers is not just the academic growth of students, technical delivery of curriculum, job training or university prep. The job of teachers is also to work for justice.

Advertisement

Story continues below

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content continued

Our curriculum encourages us to teach about social justice and social responsibility. It says that we should teach students to “contribute to their physical, social and cultural environments,” and “participate with others in accomplishing common goals,” and “have the ability to initiate or participate in social action.” So, inside the classroom, there is a strong argument that it’s good for teachers to encourage activism. Beyond that, teachers need to show our students what it looks like when informed adults act on their knowledge. We need to model how to participate in social action for decolonization. We need to stand with the Wet’suwet’en until our society gets to a place where they have an equal, nation-to-nation voice on what happens on their land.

Advertisement

Story continues below

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content continued

Just to be clear, we are not asking for teachers to protest pipeline development, but that we stand-up for Indigenous sovereignty and together call on our governments to respect Indigenous land title.

Therefore, as teachers we call on the RCMP to withdraw from Wet’suwet’en territory without preconditions and on the governments of Canada and B.C. to respect Wet’suwet’en consent. Furthermore, we call on our fellow teachers to watch out for announcements of public solidarity actions in your community. These meetings/actions can help us educate ourselves on this topic. If 20 of us show up, we’ll have a strong show of solidarity. If 100 of us show up, we’ll begin to show our students that we’re serious about honouring treaties and practicing truth and reconciliation, not just talking about it.

Share this article in your social network

Share this Story: Opinion: Sask. teachers call for colleagues to speak out about Wet'suwet'en

Trending

Related Stories

This Week in Flyers

Article Comments

Comments

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.

Notice for the Postmedia Network

This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.